Program could lose 75 percent of its funding

Illinois students asking for financial assistance from the MAP Grant program may have to look elsewhere.

The Illinois General Assembly’s “50 Percent Budget” will cut $275 million in financial aid to Illinois college students to bridge the state’s $9.2 billion funding gap if passed, according to the state budget.

The budget calls for a 75 percent reduction in MAP scholarships that will affect 145 thousand low-income students in Illinois, according to Governor Pat Quinn’s statement on his Web site. The reduction counts for $242 million in financial assistance.

“MAP Grants are need-based grants and may be used for tuition and mandatory fees only,” according to the NIU Student Financial Aid Web site.

Five thousand students at NIU receive MAP grant money and cutting the grants could lead to a bad scenario at NIU where some students won’t be able to afford the cost of the university, NIU President John Peters said

The MAP grant cuts “could wipe out a whole cohort of our neediest students,” he said.
Governor Pat Quinn opposes the budget and “is fighting for the Legislature to pass a fair and balanced budget that will include much-needed added revenue,” according his Web site.

The “50 Percent Budget” also calls for cutting $5 million in book stipends, eliminating $3 million in Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarships and eliminating $7 million in Future Teacher and Golden Apple scholarships, according to the State of Illinois Web site.

“We have prevailed under much worse circumstances,” Peters said. “That is what we’re going to do again.”

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